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Probe: War dead mishandled at Dover

None of the senior officials were fired, but they were reassigned to new positions. |
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“While the report reflects a willingness to find paperwork violations and errors, with the exception of the cases of missing portions, the findings stop short of accepting accountability for failing to handle remains with the requisite `reverence, care and dignity befitting them and the circumstances’,” the report stated.

Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, said the investigation found that the work at Dover was “always conducted with reverence, dignity, honor and respect for all served through the facility.”

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“However, the standard is 100 percent accountability in every instance of this important mission,” Schwartz said in a statement. “We can, and will, do better and as a result of the allegations and investigation; our ability to care for our fallen warriors is now stronger. In fact, throughout the past year new processes have been put in place to ensure the exacting standards are met every time.”

“I want to reassure our men and women in uniform, and the American public, that the Air Force mortuary standards they expect for our fallen heroes are being met,” Schwartz added in the press release.

Panetta said he has also set in motion an independent review of the current operations at Dover requested by the Air Force. The panel, he stated, “will evaluate the changes that have been implemented to ensure that we are treating all of our fallen service members with the greatest reverence, dignity and respect.”

“I want to commend the senior leadership of the Air Force for their thoroughness in response to these allegations, and for their commitment to strengthening the Department’s handling of this most sacred and solemn task,” he said. “Let me make very clear to the families of our fallen heroes that every step will be taken to protect the honor and dignity that their loved ones richly deserve.”

Readers' Comments (6)

As a veteran, I have been angered and saddened by the callousness in which the remains and sacrifice of war veterans have been handled. First sending soldiers to fight and die in senseless wars based upon Bush-Cheney Administration lies (as soldiers and the American people were lied to during Vietnam) was wrong. Our actual Al Qaeda 911 enemies have made up less than five percent of America's enemy combatants in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Bush-Cheney Administration officials Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush, Rice, etc., spoke of months of combat not years. There was no hint of the demand for multiple tours of duty and sacrifice and the "Stop Loss" policies keeping people on active duty beyond their service commitment, etc. In brief, America and its people were deliberately mislead on the costs of the wars and the physical and mental toll placed upon our military.

Under Bush-Cheney, there was an embargo of photographing returning caskets which arrived at Dover AFB at night deliberately to avoid being seen so as not to upset the public and public opinion. It was not to benefit the deceased soldier's family, it was politics. Fortunately, President Obama has lifted the embargo. The public has a right and duty to understand the sacrifices being made by veterans and their families.

Also, under Bush, there was the Walter Reed VA Hospital scandal of poor care and poor facilities for veterans. (There was a similar VA scandal only worse after Vietnam.) We now know of the mishandling of burials at Arlington Cemetery. Nobody was fired then either, as I recall, though one high-ranking official took early retirement. Also under Bush-Cheney, insurance companies like Prudential profited from the death of soldiers by holding survivor benefits in escrow rather than issuing a lump-sum payment to beneficiaries. Instead, Prudential made 5% interest on the money while paying .5% interest on the escrow account funds. The practice has been exposed and stopped. Until people are held accountable and made to pay with jail time, firings, cut off pensions and benefits, etc. will chronic and repeated failures to honor our military dead who made the ultimate sacrifice while so many profited from war. It is a national shame and disgrace.

. First sending soldiers to fight and die in senseless wars based upon Bush-Cheney Administration lies

Accusations that President Bush lied to the American people about whether there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are counterbalanced by quotes from prominent Democrats about Saddam Hussein and weapons in Iraq. Most of these statements were during the debate over whether to use force against Iraq. The Truth There are several quotes. Most of them come during a time in the Clinton administration when decisions were being made about action against Saddam Hussein and amid concerns about weapons of mass destruction.

We'll take them one at a time.

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998-Truth!This was a quote from President Clinton during a presentation at the Pentagon defending a decision to conduct military strikes against Iraq.

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998-Truth!Bill Clinton went to the Pentagon on this occasion to be briefed by top military officials about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. His remarks followed that briefing.

"Iraq is a long way from USA but, what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998-Truth!This is a quote from Albright during an appearance at Ohio State University by Albright, who was Secretary of State for Bill Clinton. "He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998-Truth!This was at the same Ohio State University appearance as Madeline Albright.

"We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S.Constitution and Laws, to take necessary actions, (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998-Truth!According to the U.S. Senate website, the text of this letter was signed by several Senators, both Democrat and Republican, including Senator John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998-Truth!The text of this statement by Nancy Pelosi is posted on her congressional website.

"Hussein has .. chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999-Truth!This was from an appearance Albright made in Chicago.

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue a pace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001Truth!The only letter with this quote from December 5, 2001 that we could find did not include the participation of Senator Bob Graham, but it was signed nine other senators including Democrat Joe Lieberman. It urged President Bush to take quicker action against Iraq.

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002-Truth!These were remarks from Senator Levin to a Senate committee on that date.

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002-Truth!This and the quote below was part of prepared remarks for a speech in San Francisco to The Commonwealth Club.

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002-Truth!

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002-Truth!Part of a speech he gave at Johns Hopkins.

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002-Truth!On the floor of the Senate during debate over the resolution that would authorize using force against Iraq.

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002-Truth!Senator Kerry's comments were made to the Senate as part of the same debate over the resolution to use force against Saddam Hussein.

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002-Truth!Senator Rockefeller's statements were a part of the debate over using force against Saddam Hussein.

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002-Truth!Senator Waxman's contribution to the Senate debate over going to war.

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002-Truth!Senator Clinton acknowledged the threat of Saddam Hussein

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ..." Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan.23.2003-Truth!In a speech to Georgetown University.

Until people are held accountable and made to pay with jail time, firings, cut off pensions and benefits, etc. will chronic and repeated failures to honor our military dead who made the ultimate sacrifice while so many profited from war. It is a national shame and disgrace.

OBAMA SHOUL.D BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR KILLING AMERICANS WITH OUT TRIAL:

By Glenn Greenwald

In late January, I wrote about the Obama administration's "presidential assassination program," whereby American citizens are targeted for killings far away from any battlefield, based exclusively on unchecked accusations by the Executive Branch that they're involved in Terrorism.

At the time, The Washington Post's Dana Priest had noted the Joint Chiefs of Staff compiled "hit lists" of Americans, and Priest suggested that the American-born Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was on that list.

The following week, Obama's Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, acknowledged in Congressional testimony that the administration reserves the "right" to carry out such assassinations.

Until people are held accountable and made to pay with jail time, firings, cut off pensions and benefits, etc.

CLINTON SHOULD BE HELD ACOUNTABLE FOR THE DEATHS OF 1600 CIVILIANS IN AN OPERATION planned and carried out by then General Wesley Clark) several thousand Yugoslavs had been killed, about 1600 of them civilians. Not a single NATO soldier died in action

"The pilot attacked what he believed to be military vehicles," said Mr Shea (spokesman for NATO, as reported on 1999-04-15 by the BBC). "He dropped his bomb in good faith, as you would expect of a trained pilot from a democratic country. ... The bomb destroyed the lead vehicle, which we now believe to have been a civilian vehicle."

On 23 March 1999 at 22:17 UTC the Secretary General of NATO, Javier Solana, announced he had directed the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark, to "initiate air operations in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia."[70][71] On 24 March at 19:00 UTC NATO started the NATO bombing ca mpaign against Yugoslavia.[72][73]

NATO's bombing campaign lasted from March 24 to June 11, 1999, involving up to 1,000 aircraft operating mainly from bases in Italy and aircraft carriers stationed in the Adriatic. Tomahawk cruise missiles were also extensively used, fired from aircraft, ships, and submarines. All of the NATO members were involved to some degree—with the exception of Greece. Over the ten weeks of the conflict, NATO aircraft flew over 38,000 combat missions. For the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), it was the second time it had participated in a conflict since World War II after the Bosnian War [citation needed].

"NATO deeply regrets" the death of five people when missiles fell 600m short of their target and hit residences in the mining town of Aleksinac on April 5.

"NATO deeply regrets" the death of at least ten people when NATO jets hit a Yugoslav passenger train travelling from Belgrade to Salonika on a bridge near Leskovac on April 12.

"NATO deeply regrets" the deaths of 80 people which occurred when NATO attacked two refugee columns in Western Kosovo on April 14.